Mirai
by Written-Ideas1
Summary: What if Toad Sage Gamamaru is not the only creature capable of seeing the future? What if the ability to see the future is a gift and a curse that's been passed down? Chieko must take over the role that her predecessor passed on to her, but can she truly juggle between this strange gift and being a ninja? An OC story.
1. Prologue

Hi there and welcome to Mirai! Hope you'll enjoy reading the prologue!

Awesome fact #1: Been listening to too much "My Name" and "Departure to the Front Lines" from Naruto Shippuuden!

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto or this story except for Chieko.**_

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 _To you, far away from here_  
 _I want to deliver the fragments of the wind from that day_  
 _Don't be lonely, I'm always here_  
 _No matter what, the wind connects us_

\- Namikaze Satellite by Snowkel (Naruto Opening 7)

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 **Prologue**

He heard the agonized cries of a woman in his mind. He stood up, a gentle smile on his wrinkly face. It was time. The old man made his way to the entrance of his old shack. He remembered the years of being a nomad.

Shaking his head, he focused his mind on the current events.

"It's about time for her to show up," he rubbed the back of his bald head.

Childbirth has always been a complicated affair. The old man knew the difficulties of it. He jumped up to one of the tree branches, moving quickly from one tree to the next without feeling tired as one should expect from a person of his age. He crossed several trees before making it to his destination. Opening the creaking door, he found a newborn baby wrapped in a beautiful blanket and surrounded by towering men. She cried nonstop. Her entire body trembled.

The old man glared at the men. He gathered chakra from the air, curling his fingers into a claw-like position. He ignored the lukewarm bodies lying on the ground.

"Hand the child over to me." The old man moved, taking on a fighting stance at the leader of the men's scoff. "Unless you prefer the cold embrace of death."

"And what do you think you can do, geezer?" The leader grinned maliciously.

The old man sighed. "I warned you." He released the gathered chakra in his hands and watched as it flitters through the air, piercing through the hearts of the men. There was no satisfaction as bodies hit the ground with a soft thud.

He made his way to the crying baby. The old man grabbed the baby, trying to rock her to sleep. "It's all over now. It's okay, little one." His soft voice echoed in the small wooden house. "Let's bring you home, Chieko-chan."

The baby girl stopped crying at hearing her name and opened her eyes to stare at the old man. Her fingers reached out to hold onto his long beard. She smiled and gurgled in delight.

The old man smiled. "You're going to have a hard life, Chieko. Do not worry, I'll prepare you for it."

It looked as though the baby girl understood. She stopped moving and went to sleep. She had no idea yet about how close she came to death. The old man wished to bring that secret with him to his grave.

The silent duo made their way back to the old man's home.

x

Chieko scrambled to her feet, narrowly avoiding the kunai headed towards her. The five-year old frowned as another shuriken flew towards her. The girl backflipped, using her chakra to give the upward push more strength. She smiled at her master. The old man nodded, releasing another barrage of weapons at his student.

Again, she avoided most of the weapons coming her way except one. It grazed her cheek, making the girl wince in pain.

"S-sorry!" She squeaked out, bowing her head. The old man waved his hand.

"Do not concern yourself with that. It is still a good job, Chieko-chan. Now, please go meditate and clear your mind before your next training." His attention, however, focused on the trees behind him.

"Yes, Hideo-sensei!" Chieko nodded her head and skipped off to the flower patches to meditate.

The old man sighed and took in the peaceful surroundings. The simple wooden shrine became his and Chieko's home for the past five years. It was far better than the old shack he had hid in in the past. The grass swayed in the cooling breeze. The birds found themselves a home atop the tree branches, tweeting every few seconds in delight. The sun was reflected on the small lake by the flower patches. It was a waste that it would all be stained in blood soon. But how soon? It was never easy to tell. The old man stood up straighter. Their guests had to be bored with their waiting.

"You may come out now." He turned around to face the two hidden ninjas. He bowed his head with his hands clasped together in greeting. "Chiriku-dono. Asuma Sarutobi-san."

Chiriku returned the greeting with a bow of his own. The sun reflected off his own bald head. Asuma rubbed the back of his head, a raised eyebrow clear on his expression.

"Uzumaki-sensei, it has been a while."

The old man laughed. "It has, Chiriku-dono."

Chiriku glanced at the oblivious girl meditating, "Is she the one?"

Hideo Uzumaki nodded and turned to look up at the sky. He ran his left hand over his beard, looking weary for once. He had no desire to thrust such a destiny on such a young girl but it had to be done. He sat cross-legged on the ground and gestured at the two guests to do the same. Asuma eyed the older man with suspicion and decided to remain standing. Chiriku gave Asuma a smile before joining Hideo on the ground.

"Is she ready?" Chiriku frowned, noting the girl's small stature and fidgety chakra. "Have you _seen_ anything?"

Hideo chuckled. The darker skin ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves resisted the urge to dodge as a small child came barreling into him. Asuma looked down at the red head. Chieko grinned at the older ninja and took in the scent of smoke and leaves.

"Chieko-chan, didn't I tell you to go meditate?"

"But I don't wanna be rude and not say hi!" The five-year old hid her face behind Asuma, glancing out every few seconds to see if Hideo was angry.

Hideo shook his head, a smile on his face. "Of course, Chieko-chan. Thank you for your kind consideration." The old man got up, his hand right behind his back as though he needed the extra support. He patted the young girl's head. "But now, you must go meditate. You love to train, isn't that right? Then go on, Chieko-chan."

The young girl nodded her head and sped off. She waved at the two older ninja. "Bye, bye, uncles!"

"U-uncle?!" Asuma stumbled a little, his cheeks turning a little red.

Chiriku placed a hand on Asuma's shoulder. "Don't worry, Asuma. You still look young."

Hideo chuckled again. His face became stern as he turned to stare at his former apprentice. "My time is coming to an end. I need your word."

Chiriku frowned. "I'm not living at the Fire Temple now. You know that, Uzumaki-sensei. And," the young bald man glanced at the five-year old, "they won't accept her into our ranks."

A single bird landed on Hideo's shoulder. The old man smiled, offering a handful of seeds to the blue bird. "I have no desire for Chieko to live at the Fire Temple. Who knows what Chukaku-sama would do to the poor girl..."

Chiriku nodded in understanding.

Asuma frowned. He glanced at the young girl with bright red hair and lit a cigarette. "Then, what do you suggest, Uzumaki-san?"

"I would hope that Leaf Village would accept my precious Chieko-chan." Hideo turned to stare at Asuma, a slight smirk present on his face. "She would make a fine shinobi, don't you think? Hiruzen would agree. He would say that it is our duty to pass the Will of Fire."

The three men stared at the young girl who seemed unaware of the swirling chakra gathering around her. Asuma knew that he could not promise anything, but looking at the young orphan, he found himself nodding his head.

Hideo smiled. "Chiriku-dono, Sarutobi-san, you are welcome to stay for dinner."

"We have to get back to the Fire Daimyo." Chiriku shook his head. "You have not answer my questions, Uzumaki-sensei."

"She will be ready. I'll make sure of it. As for what I've seen, Chiriku-dono, I've seen my death." Hideo replied, a sharp glint in his eyes.

x

Hideo Uzumaki knew that his time would be ending soon. It wasn't like he wanted to live forever, but he wanted more time with his successor. He wanted more time with the young girl who had become like a daughter to him. _Six years_. He had gotten to spend six years with her. But was it enough? He ran his fingers over and through his lengthy beard. He stared at the flower patches and saw Chieko creating wreaths and crowns with the flowers.

The red head looked up and caught his stare. She smiled. Chieko jumped to her feet and ran over. Without even pausing, she placed the flower crown on top of Hideo's head. She grinned, practically bouncing on the heels of her feet.

Hideo touched his new accessory. "Why, thank you, Chieko-chan. I can look pretty now." He smiled at her with a gentle look.

Time was too short, though.

Hideo ran his fingers through Chieko's red hair, smoothing out the odd curls. Then, he stood up. The bells that surrounded the area began chiming incessantly. That was his only warning. He glanced down at Chieko, pulling her hand and leading the girl towards the study. She did her best to catch up while her heart rate increased. She glanced around the building, feeling the air turn colder than usual.

 _Killer intent._

Of course, she had no idea what it was called.

They made it to the study as Hideo pulled several scrolls and books into his hands. He dropped them into a pile in between them. He formed a couple of hand seals and touched his left hand onto Chieko's shoulder. A bright light surrounded the room as Hideo stuffed the scrolls and books into the light. He sealed them into her shoulder and smiled. He placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Everything is going to be okay." Hideo promised, placing his forehead on hers. Chieko winced at the sudden heat from the contact, but unlike Hideo, she did not notice the seal that formed on her forehead for several seconds before vanishing without a trace.

Her entire body began to feel hotter. Sweat formed as she shivered. Chieko had no idea if it was from the heat or if it was from the malice in the air.

"Chieko-chan, you must leave now." He ordered, pushing her out of the study and into the open air. Chieko shook her head. "Go now! We don't have much time!" Hideo stumbled a little. He straightened his posture and ignored the chills that went down his spine.

Chieko shook her head again. "But-"

"Please go, Chieko. You must leave. I'll protect you." Hideo gave his best reassuring smile. "I'll be fine." The old man wondered if there is a god and if there is one, would he be forgiven for that lie. He pushed a small bag into Chieko's arms and urged the young girl to move. Chieko gave Hideo one last look before jumping onto the tree branch and running deeper into the forest.

Hideo turned to face his attackers. It was his time to go but he refused to go down without a fight despite the lack of energy in his body. He hoped that Chieko would make it to Leaf. He hoped that she will be strong.

x

Chieko sensed it like a wave that came down on her. She stumbled on her footing and fell onto another branch. Her heart clenched as tears streamed down her face.

 _He lied._

She panted from the running. She should have stopped and fought alongside Hideo-sensei. She rubbed the tears from her face. Adrenaline coursed through her body and she knew she didn't have time to rest. Hideo-sensei had taught her that.

The red head pushed herself into an upright position and forced chakra to travel to her feet. She sped off into the direction of the Leaf Village. She felt the air shift as three chakra signatures seemed to be looking for her. Chieko wondered if she could fight; if she could avenge Hideo's death.

 _No._

Hideo-sensei would yell at her for making such an elementary mistake. She pushed forward. She had to escape them. Her chakra was almost depleted. Maybe, just maybe, she had to find another shelter. She had no idea how much further Leaf was.

She had to keep going on, she decided. The girl continued jumping from tree to tree with her hand moving to the weapons pouch by her waist. Her free hand moved the small bag that her sensei thrust at her from her back to her front. She dug into it to see if there was anything that would help her. Clothes. Ration bars. Books. Her belongings. If she had the time, she would have pondered on how Hideo-sensei knew they would be attacked. But now, the enemy was approaching quickly.

She threw a couple of kunai with explosive tags and exploded them once she got to a safe distance. It was a gamble, but she had hoped to catch the attention of Leaf shinobi that might be lurking around. After all, explosions are attention-grabbing.

Chieko continued to jump from tree branch to another tree branch. She dodged as a kunai hit the spot of where she was. She needed to decide. Should she turn around and fight or should she keep trying to run away? She bit her bottom lip and turned around to face the shinobi tailing her.

The three men stood with the forehead protectors engraved with three long, narrow ovals, with two of the ovals joined at the ends. It was the Village Hidden in the Clouds, then. Chieko knew nothing about Cloud ninjas and the way they fought. She regretted all those times she avoided Hideo-sensei when he tried to make her read up on history. _If only_. But it was too late for regrets and Hideo-sensei would be upset if she joined him too early in the land of the dead. Her heart clenched. She pulled out her kunai and faced them. She needed to stall to learn about her enemy.

"What do you want from me?" Chieko gripped her kunai right in front of her. She noticed several things as she scanned the shinobi in front of her. Each of them had a sword hung on his back and taut muscles. They looked ready to pounce. She didn't care about that. Swords meant that they are good in kenjutsu. However, are they normal swords or do they conduct chakra for elemental boosts? Chieko concluded that it was impossible to tell from this distance and her chakra sensing abilities weren't as refined as she hoped.

The middle one smirked and pulled his sword out from its sheath. Chieko ignored the blood dripping from the sword. "Would it matter if we tell her anyway? She's going to be dead soon."

The one on the right groaned. "Can you stop being a jackass for a minute? It's clear that the girl is trying to stall for time and you're just humoring her."

Chieko knew that shinobi would be smart to catch on to what she was doing but it didn't matter. She felt it in her heart that she would make it out alright. Hideo-sensei had always told her to believe in herself and her abilities. Well, she trusted her intuition. She found herself smiling despite the situation. Running over a couple of hand seals, she summoned two other clones. Then she started running in one direction as her clones ran towards opposite directions. She had a chance of evading or maybe even defeating her opponent if there was only one of them.

Chieko decided to take the chance.

The middle one followed her while the other two followed her clones. "Shit! Don't let her get away!"

"This was all your fault, Karai!" The man who chased after the right clone shouted.

The ninja following her scoffed but didn't respond. Chieko knew she needed a plan—a _good_ plan. She had five kunai and seven shuriken. She used up her explosive tags and any plan involving explosions wouldn't work now. Chieko kept running, ignoring the pain in her lungs.

"Get back here and fight me!" Her attacker growled. Then, he stopped chasing the girl as a loud explosion sounded from where his teammate was. Chieko stopped as well, looking around to see what had happened. Chieko watched just in time as a man with dark tan skin and shaggy black hair struck her attacker over the head with a jagged blade unlike anything she has ever seen before. The Cloud ninja fell unconscious and the man turned around to give her a long look.

Chieko saw the man's familiar face and beamed. She was rescued. She ran forward and wrapped her savior in a childlike version of a bone-crushing hug. Tears streamed down her face. "Uncle, you're here!"

Asuma Sarutobi awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "U-uncle again…" He cleared his throat and patted the girl's hair. "You're okay now, kid."

"Hideo-sensei…"

Asuma sighed. "He didn't make it."

" _I know_." Chieko rubbed her tears away. "I felt it."

Asuma had no idea what to make of that and her peculiar ability. He ignored the next explosion that happened. He knew that Chiriku would have taken care of the other two Cloud ninjas. Instead, he knew that he had an agreement to fulfill. Hideo Uzumaki wanted Chieko to have a chance at life and who was he to deny the wishes of a dead man.

"Come on and follow me. I'll bring you to the safest place I know."

"W-where's that?" Chieko blew her nose and rubbed her snot on her cargo pants.

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves."

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 _ **And that's it, folks! First off, thank you for taking the time to read this till the end. I know there's a lot of other Naruto fanfics that you could be spending your time on so I'm really happy you decided to choose this blossoming fic. Also, I would really appreciate it if you could review and let me know what you think about it so far!**_

 _ **Sneak Peek for Chapter 1:**_

I didn't even jump as a young blond boy peered at me curiously. I hated being weak. Hideo-sensei didn't raise a weakling. He taught me to be better than that. _He believed in me_. The blond boy squatted down next to me.

"Um, are you okay?" He looked ready to run from me at any second.

"I-I'm fine..."

"No, you're not!" I startled back. He mustered the best glare he could. "I hate liars."

x

I froze as images flittered in my mind.

It was Naruto but he looked older. A voice in my head announced that Naruto was _the boy of the prophecy_.


	2. Introducing Leaf: First Meeting

Hi there and welcome to Mirai! I understand that the prologue may have been moving too fast so Chapter 1 might feel a little too slow, but I do hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter!

Thank you for taking the time to click on this story! Special thanks to the amazing people who favorited and followed this story. You guys are basically like the petrol/gas to my motivational car tank (Bad analogy, I know...)!

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto or this story except for Chieko.**_

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 _I'll keep a handful of courage in my heart_  
 _To use to live through tomorrow_  
 _And I'll never take it for granted_

 _Let's go_

\- Closer by Joe Inoue (Naruto Shippuuden Opening 4)

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 **Chapter 1: Introducing Leaf: First Meeting to a Forever Friendship**

The first thing I noticed was the smell of the village. It was different. It smelled of cooked food and fresh, wet grass. An odd combination but it worked. It was like several people decided to have a campfire feast right in the middle of a forest except, it did not look like a forest at all. Sure, the smell of grass and trees and leaves—the smell of nature—came from the forest surrounding the village.

 _The Village Hidden in the Leaves_.

I had to admit that they picked the right name for the village. I looked at the bustling streets filled with people and children. I noticed several pets making their way across the rugged ground with a certain sway. _My new home_. It was unlike the other smaller villages I've visited with…with Hideo-sensei. I clenched my left fist and glanced at the man holding my other hand with a laidback attitude. That was the only way I could describe the man I called my uncle. He was my savior too but it didn't quite make him as flustered as calling him uncle.

I forced a smile onto my face. "Where are we going, uncle?" I tried to bounce on my heels and look okay. Hideo-sensei hated when I was sad or upset about something. If he was here, he would have forced me to go out into the cold forest and meditate until every negative emotion disappeared. I wanted to do that but it was too lively here.

A dog ran past as a kid younger than me chased after it while yelling excitedly. I walked closer to Asuma. I knew that his name is Asuma Sarutobi but it was more fun to keep calling him uncle.

"We're going to get something to eat."

"Asuma?" A voice called out from behind. We turned around to see a young woman with long wavy black hair and a Leaf forehead protector shown proudly on her forehead. The most noticeable thing about her was her kind bright red eyes. "You've returned?"

"Ah, Kurenai. Just temporarily. I'll be heading out soon." The tanned skin ninja scratched the back of his head.

The woman laughed. She squatted down to get a good look at me. "And you came back with a pretty young lady."

I beamed. "Thank you! You're really pretty too, Kurenai-san!"

Asuma frowned. "That's mean, Chieko. You call her by her name but you call me 'uncle'?"

I nodded, giving him my most innocent smile. It used to work on Hideo-sensei when I didn't want to study ninja history. Asuma-san sighed but reached down and patted my head with a gentle smile. Asuma invited Kurenai to join us for dinner and the three of us headed to a place called _Yakiniku-Q_. It was a barbecue place. I listened in on Kurenai and Asuma's conversation as we ate delicious barbecued meat.

"How's everything in the village?" Asuma grabbed several pieces of cooked meat and piled it high on my plate. I nodded my head in thanks but paid close attention to Kurenai's response.

Kurenai giggled. "You never change, Asuma. Worried things wouldn't run without you?"

"More like hoping it would run better without me." _Lazy_ , I thought to myself. How did he become a shinobi? But, I knew that he is super strong. He saved me from those evil Cloud ninjas. But Hideo-sensei must have been stronger.

"Well, we do what we can. Although, I'm worried about Kakashi." Kurenai placed her chopsticks down and brought her cup of tea to her lips. She looked thoughtful or maybe she was lost in thought about the past. I had no idea.

Asuma continued to pile food onto my plate with a strangely serious expression. I kept eating and hoped he hadn't noticed how much food I had consumed. Did he have enough money to pay for all the food? Did I? I dug through my bag. My eyes started watering. I had no money. _No. Money_. What was Hideo-sensei thinking when he packed this?!

I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I looked up, blinking through my clouded vision. Kurenai gave me a worried look. "Are you okay, Chieko-chan?" She shot Asuma a look but he responded with a shrug.

"I-I…" I sniffled. I knew I had money before I left. Unless… "Cloud stole my money!"

Kurenai and Asuma looked taken aback. They didn't understand! I had been saving my money since I was three. All those ice cream I did not buy. All those dango… How dare those Cloud ninjas steal my money?! I stood up and slammed my hands on the table, drawing the attention of the other customers. Asuma held up his hands at the other people with a sheepish smile. Oops. I hadn't meant to do that. I bowed my head low like Hideo-sensei taught me and apologized.

Kurenai patted my head. "It's okay, Chieko-chan. I'm sure Asuma will be able to pay for the meal."

I turned to look at Asuma. "Will you?" I tugged his shirt sleeve. "I promise I'll pay you back!"

Asuma sighed. "Don't worry about it." He ruffled my already messy hair. I puffed out my cheeks and twirled my hair with my index finger. "C'mon, I better get you to the Third's office."

I put on my hoodie before following Asuma out of the restaurant. It was colder at night with the breeze. Kurenai decided to follow us to the Hokage's office and spent the time explaining to me about the Leaf Village. "Yes, if you join the Academy, you can learn amazing jutsu like Clone jutsu and Substitution jutsu to prepare you for shinobi life. And when you graduate the Academy, you'll be a genin."

I tilted my head. I didn't think it was a good idea to say that I've already learned those jutsu. "Um…when can I join the Academy?"

"Whenever you think you are ready." Kurenai-san smiled.

I nodded. If they had to learn what I've learned from Hideo-sensei, then I knew for a fact that I was ready. I took a deep breath. I needed to be a shinobi. It would have made Hideo-sensei happy. I turned to look at the huge faces on the rocky mountain. I wondered what those faces meant. There were four faces on the rocks and they looked like four men. They must have been pretty important men for their faces to be there.

Kurenai stopped walking and stared at the mountain with faces. "That is the Hokage Monument."

"The Hokage Monument?"

"Yes, those are the faces of the past and current Hokage. First Hokage," she pointed at the first face on the left. "Hashirama Senju," she did the same for the rest of the Hokage faces, "Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. And Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

Sarutobi? Wasn't that…? I glanced at Asuma but he didn't react to the name at all. Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Third Hokage then. But that meant, I looked at the fourth face on the mountain, and shook my head. He must have been young.

We made it to the Hokage office and went in to see a man as old as Hideo-sensei. However, he had a huge semi-red hat on top of his head that had the word _fire_. This was the man known as the strongest shinobi in Leaf and yet, he looked like a kind grandfather. I clenched my fists and tried not to think about Hideo-sensei. I scanned the room and saw the countless paperwork cluttering the room. My hand itched and my mouth twitched into a smile.

"Asuma, you've returned." The raspy voice of the Hokage caught me by surprise. He had a stern look on his face like he knew someone did something terribly wrong. Maybe he knew about the Cloud shinobi stealing my money? He smiled at me. "And who are you, little one?"

My cheeks heated up. "O-oh…" How was a person supposed to greet the leader of the village? "I'm Chieko."

Third-sama stood up and took a slow walk over to me. Beside me, Kurenai-san stood up straighter whereas Asuma-san yawned with a lit cigarette in his mouth. I had no idea when he lit the cigarette but he seemed to be enjoying it. Third-sama placed his hand on my head and squatted down to look at me.

"How are you finding the village, Chieko-chan?"

I fiddled with the sleeves of my hoodie. "It's really loud."

The Hokage laughed. "Yes, we have a lively village. So, what brings you to the office, Chieko-chan?"

"I…" I took the time to explain about everything that happened. "And I think the Cloud ninjas stole my money without me noticing!" Kurenai chuckled while Asuma hit his forehead with his palm. I shrugged. It was the truth. Third-sama stood up and nodded his head. He walked back to his desk and sat down before joining his hands together.

"I see." He nodded. "That is rather unfortunate. I have just the right place for you to stay then after everything you've went through." He scribbled an address on a piece of paper and gestured at me to walk closer. He handed the paper to me and smiled. "Asuma and Kurenai will help you get settled in for tonight."

I returned the smile with a grin of my own. At least I had a place to stay at now. "Thank you! I promise I'll pay you back!"

He waved his hand. "There's no need for any of that. Take care now, Chieko-chan."

I noticed him sharing a look with Kurenai and Asuma but it was not my place to ask about it. I reached over the desk and gave the Third Hokage a peck on the cheek before disappearing out the door. Kurenai giggled while Asuma sighed and called me _troublesome_. At least I wasn't lazy.

x

We stood in front of the apartment building with several plastic bags in our hands. It looked different. It wasn't a rectangle nor was it a square building. Instead, it curved on one side and it was straight on the other, making it look like an odd-shaped oval. I had no problems with the shape but the building's color left something to be desired. The pale brown and orange made the building look like it was…dying, in a way. But, it was going to be home for now. Hopefully, the inside would look much better.

We made our way up the stairs and reached the third floor. Now, I believed it was room 301 that Third-sama wrote on the address. I pulled the paper out from my hoodie's pocket and tried to read the scribbles. I realized that I didn't have the key to open the door as I stood in front of room 301. Kurenai gently pushed me to the side and stuck a key into the keyhole, twisting it open for all of us.

I laughed. "I guess I should have waited for the key before running out of the office…"

Kurenai smiled. "Don't worry about it, Chieko-chan. Let's go put everything down while you explore your new home."

And I did what she said. I stepped into the apartment and discarded my shoes at the entrance. I smiled. The inside of the apartment looked simple and clean. There wasn't an ounce of dust as I ran my fingers through the white walls.

As I walked in, there was a small living room connected to the kitchen. A short coffee table in the living room greeted me as soon as I entered. Nearby, there was a taller dining table with four chairs. I turned left to find a narrow hallway leading to the bathroom and the bedroom. The bathroom had a shower, a sink, and a toilet. I needed to get a trashcan soon. I ignored the urge to get one right now as I walked over to the bedroom.

There was a small bed in the corner of the room. Next to it and by the window stood a simple desk with a chair in front of it. My favorite object had to be the bookshelf in the other corner of the room. My eyes watered. It was perfect. I touched and poked the soft bed and fluffed up the tiny pillow. I had no idea what it was like to sleep on something this soft. I smiled. It would be fun.

I walked out and made my way to the living room as Kurenai and Asuma were emptying the contents of several plastic bags. I dumped my bag onto the ground and helped them. I stuffed the fruits and vegetables into the fridge. I balanced the eggs and milk soon after while holding the fridge door open with my leg and slipped it into the fridge's side slot. Then, holding onto the chicken and pork meat, I divided them in half before placing some in the freezer and the rest in the fridge. I grabbed one of the dining room chairs and stood up on it to drop flour, rice, oil, and ramen into the kitchen cabinets. I grabbed the toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, soap, and the set of four toilet paper rolls and arranged them in the bathroom.

Was there anything else I was missing? There probably was but I had tomorrow to deal with it. I turned to look at Kurenai and Asuma. I bowed low and smiled.

"Thank you for everything, uncle, Kurenai-san."

Asuma rubbed the back of his head. "You're too much, Chieko."

"You're very welcome, Chieko-chan. Is there anything else you'll need for tonight?" The red eyed beauty started to fold the plastic bags into manageable sizes. I shook my head. "Well, then I should get going. I've got a mission tomorrow morning and I'll be gone for some time but I'll see you soon, Chieko-chan."

I grinned. I was not alone. I had someone again. _Hideo-sensei, I had someone_. I ran forward and gave Kurenai a hug. "Please be careful."

She laughed. "I will. You take care of yourself too."

I nodded and turned to look at Asuma. "You'll be leaving soon, uncle?"

Asuma nodded. "That's the plan." He placed his big hand on my head. "Good luck, kid." I grinned and leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek. Asuma sighed again but with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you!" I walked out to the entrance with the two adults. "I'll make dinner next time!" They waved and left in true ninja fashion, by jumping on rooftops. I closed the front door and plopped onto the ground. A sigh escaped my throat. I unzipped my hoodie and threw it to the side. My eyes went to the seal Hideo-sensei created on my arm. It had a round shape with several scribbles surrounding it. I squinted my eyes and tried to read the scribbles but it was impossible. The only thing I could have read was the word _hidden_ at the center. I ran my fingers over the seal.

No. I didn't want to know what those books and scrolls meant yet. Hideo-sensei died for these stupid secrets; no, he died for _me_.

I stood up and grabbed my towel with me. I needed to rest and forget everything. Sleep came easily that night.

x

My body shot up at six in the morning. Hideo-sensei said that morning meditation is the most important thing to do before breakfast. I did just that. I allowed my thoughts to come and go. Why did Hideo-sensei not let me fight beside him? He didn't believe in my abilities. Why didn't I stay behind? I was scared. I didn't want to die yet. Why didn't I fight the Cloud ninjas and get revenge? I was still scared. Why was I so weak after all my training? I didn't train hard enough. Was I weak? Yes.

But, I remembered the kindness of Asuma, Chiriku, Kurenai and Third-sama. They saved me and gave me shelter. I opened my eyes and looked around the room.

It was home now. I had to make it my home now. I stood up and made an easy breakfast. I scrambled two eggs and had a glass of milk. After finishing my meal, I grabbed an apple from the fridge and bit into it. I showered soon after and emptied my bag of its content. I blinked once as another object came flying out with the rest of my clothes and items.

"Money!" I rushed forward and grabbed my wallet. I opened it and started counting how much I had on me. _I needed you, money_. I split it into three different piles: one pile was hidden under my bed, the second pile was hidden in one of my several pants, and the last pile I kept in my wallet.

Good. Time to make this place my home.

I locked the door behind me and walked down the stairs. It was time to explore. The sun shone bright but it didn't faze the other villagers as people were getting their shops and restaurants ready for business. I moved about and noticed the happy villagers with their peaceful daily life. I watched as several ninjas made their way to the Hokage Office by jumping from roof to roof. The familiar Hokage Monument seemed so much more hopeful and awe-inspiring than it was last night.

I passed by a flower shop and decided that I would head in there after I've done everything else. I needed more weapons and I needed to find a quiet place to train. I walked down the street and jumped to the side to avoid children around my age running past me. I laughed. It felt like the village had an energy of its own. The best description for the village had to be: it is like a spirit that burns bright.

I avoided another running child as I slipped into a weapons shop. The owner looked down at me with a big smile.

"Hey there, little lady. What'cha looking for?" He had dark grey hair and really tanned skin. His muscles looked taut. He had to know how to use every weapon in his shop.

I returned his smile. "I need some new shuriken and kunai, uncle!"

"Coming right up, miss!" He replied. I laughed. Was he bringing weapons to me or serving me food? He dropped a pouch of kunai and a pouch of shuriken in front of me. "That'll be 300 ryo!"

Huh. It was cheaper here than it was when I bought it from a smaller village. It must have something to do with how easy it is for a big ninja village to get supplies of weapons. I pulled out my wallet and took out a 100 ryo coin and a 200 ryo coin. I placed them on the counter and hooked the pouches on my belt.

"Pleasure doing business with you, little miss!"

"Thanks, uncle!"

Now I had four new shuriken and four new kunai. Time to look for a new training location. It had to be located away from the shops and restaurants. I walked further and further away until I stumbled upon an area with several trees with empty patches of grass. A river ran in the background. It was missing the sound of birds tweeting, though.

I spotted a nice slab of rock and walked over to it. Sitting cross-legged, I allowed my mind to quiet down and felt the swirl of chakra within me and around me shift. I released the chakra into the air and a strong gust of wind washed over me, bringing in the scent of freshly-cut grass. The hair tie that held my hair in place came loose and flew away in the wind. I ignored it and turned my attention to focusing the chakra within to specific areas of my body.

First, I controlled the chakra to flow to my feet. With my eyes closed, I shot off into a run towards the river and allowed my chakra to keep me balanced above the calm water. I kicked myself off into the air with an additional chakra boost and landed on my hands. I took slow hand-steps towards solid ground and opened my eyes.

I panted. That felt good. A small patch of flowers was hidden in the shade. I walked over to it. I loved the red and purple flowers the most. I squatted down and ran my fingers over the flower petals. My hands began to collect several flowers to turn it into a wreath.

 _"Why, thank you, Chieko-chan. I can look pretty now."_

Hideo-sensei. Why did you have to leave me now? You said…and you promised. Tears pricked at my eyes and I rubbed them away. I sniffled. I didn't understand. Hideo-sensei knew we would be attacked and he didn't say anything about it. He didn't even try to escape. But no, how did he know about the attack? I bit my bottom lip until I could taste blood on my tongue. I pulled my knees closer to my chest. The tears refused to stop. I knew that the pain wouldn't fade away so soon but I had trouble breathing just thinking about what has happened in the past twenty-four hours. My heart rate increased. I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths. It didn't work. It didn't matter that I had a chance to start a new life. I wanted time to grieve; to properly acknowledge Hideo-sensei's death. My heart tightened and my tears continued to flow.

I didn't even jump as a young blond boy peered at me curiously. I hated being weak. Hideo-sensei didn't raise a weakling. He taught me to be better than that. _He believed in me_. The blond boy squatted down next to me.

"Um, are you okay?" He looked ready to run from me at any second.

"I-I'm fine..."

"No, you're not!" I startled back. He mustered the best glare he could. "I hate liars."

 _Liars_. I was lying and he knew. Well, genius, I was crying. It was no wonder he knew. I forced a smile on my face. "Liar...huh?"

The blond started to laugh nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

I raised my hand up and placed my completed flower wreath on his head. "There, now you look pretty."

He puffed out his chest. "I'm not pretty!"

I laughed. "You are to me. Anyway," I rubbed the tears from my eyes. "I'm Chieko."

His cheeks turned pink and he crossed his arms around his chest. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki, remember it!"

I looked down to see a pouch of weapons in his right hand. "Were you training, Naruto-kun?"

"Mm-hm! I'm going to be the next Hokage!" Then, his stomach growled. He scratched his whiskered cheek, looking sheepish. "Er, maybe after lunch."

My own stomach betrayed me too and I grinned at Naruto. "I could go for something nice and warm. Wanna have lunch together, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto beamed, hopping from one foot to the next with uncontained excitement. "Really? Are you sure?" I nodded my head. "Yeah!" He grabbed my hand and started to lead me somewhere. "I know the best place! You'll love it!"

I smiled. He reminded me of the sun—bright and full of hope. Hope. I needed hope. I needed to remember hope. Hideo-sensei once said that hope is the foundation of human determination and passion. He believed in me. I will _never_ let him down ever again. I squeezed Naruto's hand and he looked back at me. "Thank you."

He turned pink but hid it by running faster to our destination. I kept up with his eagerness, laughter bubbling in my throat. We turned a couple of corners before standing right in front of a shop called _Ichiraku Ramen_. It looked like a simple stand with several stools for customers. An elderly man wearing a completely white chef's outfit and a younger brunette woman stood behind the countertop. Smiles lit up on their faces as they noticed Naruto. They gestured at him to enter the store.

"Naruto!" The kind man greeted. "And who's your new friend?" He smiled at me, his eyes crinkling with joy. I glanced at Naruto to see him twiddling with his fingers and looking shy. I grinned and linked my arm with Naruto's. His smile grew wider.

I bowed. "I'm Chieko. Pleased to meet you, uncle, older sis!"

He nodded. "Thanks for coming, Chieko-chan! My name's Teuchi and this is my daughter, Ayame."

The brunette waved with a bright smile. "Hey!"

Naruto climbed onto a stool and grinned. "Uncle, miso ramen with extra pork!"

"I'll have the same, Teuchi-san." As I struggled to climb up onto the stool, Ayame went behind me and pulled me up. My cheeks heated up but I mumbled a thank you. "So, what are you training for, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto pumped his fist up into the air. "I'm going to join the Academy!" Kurenai said something about joining the Academy to become a Leaf shinobi. If Naruto is joining the Academy, then it would mean that I won't be alone. I had to give it some thought before deciding.

"Sounds like fun! Hey, do you think I can join it too?"

Naruto quickly nodded. "Yes, believe it!"

I giggled as two hot bowls of miso ramen were placed in front of us. It was magical. The smooth texture of the pork combined with the aromatic soup made my mouth water. The best part had to be the noodles. I had not seen such balanced noodles before. It didn't look mushy nor did it look under-cooked. I grabbed a pair of chopsticks and Naruto did the same. We exchanged another look before digging in.

It was truly amazing. It tasted better than its already mouth-watering appearance. Naruto was looking at me from the corner of his eye. I gave him a thumbs-up and he pumped his fist into the air again with noodles still hanging from his mouth. I laughed, snorting at the unusual sight. Then, Teuchi-san dropped a couple of naruto into our bowls.

"Thanks, Teuchi-san!" I wished him with my own mouth full of ramen. He shook his head while laughing.

After lunch, we paid and started to walk without a destination in mind. I didn't bother reminding Naruto that he planned on training as he continued patting his stomach in satisfaction. We continued walking, enjoying the rare quiet of the village. It was after a couple of minutes before I realized why they were quiet. I watched as they stared at Naruto with…it had to be fear and anger. I moved closer to Naruto and hoped he hadn't noticed.

"So, what will we learn at the Academy?"

Naruto grinned, although it looked a little forced. "R-right. We learn cool jutsu!"

I laughed. "Like what?"

He scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. "Like… um… like clone jutsu!"

"Then there'll be two of me and two of you?"

He nodded, the grin grew wider. "Yup!"

We stopped walking once we stood in front of my apartment building. I turned, looking at my blond friend. I blinked. How am I supposed to say bye to someone? Hideo-sensei had always done it first. Naruto looked just as lost as me.

"Well-"

"Chieko-chan-"

I giggled and he laughed. I placed my hand on his arm. "This is my apartment building so…"

"Really?! I stay here too, believe it!" He pointed to the third floor of the building. "I'm in 300."

"Huh. I'm in 301." I blinked. "Well…race you up there!" I took off running with Naruto yelling at me for cheating but I just laughed. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"

The two of us ran up the stairs, laughing all the way. By the time we got up to the third floor, the both of us made it at the same time. I looked at him and ran my fingers through my hair.

"I think you win this round, Naruto-kun." I winked at him.

"No way! You won because you cheated!" He puffed out his chest, pink tinting his whiskered cheeks. "But…you can treat me to ramen next time."

I held out my hand. "That's a deal!" He grabbed my hand and we shook.

I froze as images flittered in my mind. I saw several shinobi on the battlefield. The battlefield looked devastated with bodies littered across the ground. There was this great big monster-like creature supported by its own deformed soldiers. I turned around and noticed three gigantic creatures: a toad, a slug, and a snake. It was the person who stood on top of the toad that made my heart clenched. It was Naruto but he looked older. A voice in my head announced that Naruto was _the boy of the prophecy_.

Then, a hand was right in front of my face. I looked at the concerned face of a familiar Naruto. "Chieko-chan, are you okay?"

I forced myself to smile. I nodded, pushing the strange images away from my thoughts. "Y-yeah. I think I forgot to buy something but it's no big deal." I twisted my key and opened the door. Before I went in, I leaned into Naruto and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, for everything."

I disappeared into my apartment before he had any time to react and shut the door. What were those images? I dropped my weapons pouch onto the floor with a soft clunk. It didn't make sense and there was nothing I could do. I shook my head. It was better to just forget about it. Yeah, it wasn't something I had to worry about yet. Instead, I thought back to the look on Naruto's face right before I closed the door. The sight of Naruto's frozen expression made me giggle. Poor Naruto. He must be so confused.

But, I wondered about the looks the villagers gave him. He couldn't have done anything bad to them. I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. It didn't matter. Another mystery that I wouldn't be able to solve by the end of the day.

Three new mysteries but one new friend. I ran my fingers over the seal. I made a new friend, Hideo-sensei. Please be proud of me.

* * *

 _ **First off, thank you for taking the time to read this till the end. I know there's a lot of other Naruto fanfics that you could be spending your time on so I'm really happy you decided to choose this blossoming fic.**_

 _ **Oh, I understand that Chieko seems to be pretty knowledgeable about being a ninja and training, but that's cause she's learned it from a really young age. I do wonder how you guys feel about her being a financially conscious (money-minded like Kakuzu) person. Let me know what you think about the little facts I've sprinkled in this chapter.** **Also, I would really appreciate it if you could review and let me know what you think about it so far!**_

 _ **Sneak Peek for Chapter 2:**_

"Welcome!" A blonde girl around my age greeted. "Eh? You're young."

She grinned and grabbed my hand to pull me deeper into the shop. "I know just the flowers for you!"

x

I beamed at her, taking both of her hands into mine. "I love these! You're really amazing…um, who are you?"

"Ino! I'm Ino Yamanaka. And you are?"

x

He placed his hand on top of Ino's head and looked at me. " _Kushina_?" I heard him whisper. "Oh! Sorry, you reminded me of someone." Ino and I exchanged a look.


	3. Introducing Leaf: Exploring the New Home

Welcome back to Mirai! How's everyone doing? Well, here's chapter 2 of Mirai and I do hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter!

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto or this story except for Chieko.**_

* * *

 _You are like a shining star._  
 _Like a lonely bird._  
 _We can go through the darkness of the night._  
 _In the cracks of the block_  
 _The times it looks like it's about to flow away_  
 _Don't forget that you aren't alone_

\- Ryuusei by TiA (Naruto Ending 6)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Introducing Leaf: Exploring the New Home**

It was a good day. Well, it looked like it would be a good day. I locked the door behind me and stretched my arms out in front of me. It had been a while since I had the chance to meditate for a long period of time. Although, it was only two days since I arrived at Leaf Village. I watched the sun blazing high above the Hokage Monument. The villagers must have started preparing for the day. I ran and jumped onto the rooftop of my apartment building.

It felt strange to see so many people walking about. I placed my hand over my mouth, trying to hide the odd grin that was showing up. People might think I went crazy. But it made me happy and nervous to be surrounded by so much energy—by so much chakra. I shook my head. I had to get to the training grounds before someone else gets there and before all the chakra in the air messes up my balance. I jumped from rooftops to rooftops, channeling my chakra to my feet.

 _Chakra_.

Hideo-sensei said that chakra was everywhere in the shinobi world and that it can be found in other living beings such as animals and trees. I believed him because I felt it. Chakra surrounded us. It traveled in the air and it was a part of the earth. But, I didn't understand how some people could be ninjas and that they had chakra to use ninjutsu and genjutsu but others did not. Why did some people have chakra but only enough of it to live? It wasn't fair. But, I stared at the villagers living such peaceful lives, maybe it was just something people learned to live without.

I shook my head. I didn't have the time to think through the existence of chakra. I had to start training again. No slacking off, Chieko! I laughed. Talking to oneself was viewed as a sign of insanity by some people. I rolled my eyes. I didn't believe that.

I jumped onto the still river and focused my chakra to keep myself from falling into the water. The chakra around me started to swirl. I closed my eyes and formed the hand seals for Clone jutsu. Two clones of me showed up. I opened my eyes and looked at them.

"Ready for some training?" I asked.

"Definitely!" My clones started attacking me with a couple of punches and kicks. They pushed me to a corner as I worked to block them. I dropped to the floor and swung my leg out to knock out one of them. She went down with a sheepish smile and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The other one frowned at the spot where our clone was standing. "I think we need new sparring partners."

I nodded. "For sure. I know myself too well."

"We're going to enter the Academy soon, right?"

I nodded again. "That's the plan. So, before that happens, mind throwing weapons at me and training my evasive tactics?"

She grinned, pulling out a string of kunai. "My pleasure!"

x

By the time we were done with training, I decided to brave through the village once more. I remembered seeing a flower shop around. I needed to start adding life into my apartment. I rubbed my nose. I needed some refreshing scents. It had to be around here somewhere… I squinted my eyes, staring off into the distance. It was after a couple of blocks later that I found the vibrant flower shop. I pushed open the door and peered inside.

"Welcome!" A blonde girl around my age greeted. "Eh? You're young."

I blinked. She had shoulder length blonde hair with her fringe sweeping over both sides of her face. Although, there was a clip holding one side of her fringe from falling into her face. Her curious blue eyes took in my appearance with some kind of scrutiny but it didn't feel mean in any way. She grinned and grabbed my hand to pull me deeper into the shop.

"I know just the flowers for you!" We kept moving while I tried my best to keep up with her energy. Maybe I shouldn't have trained before coming over here? We stopped right in front of an assortment of red and purple flowers—flowers that I have been familiar with. "What do you think of these irises?"

I beamed at her, taking both of her hands into mine. "I love these! You're really amazing…um, who are you?"

"Ino! I'm Ino Yamanaka. And you are?"

"Chieko." I grinned. "Thank you, Ino-chan! I'll definitely get these!"

She giggled. "Great, Chieko-chan! You know," she paused, turning to me with her index finger on her chin. "These flowers represent hope and wisdom. You looked like you needed that." I stared at her and smiled. First Naruto and now Ino. Were a lot of people in Leaf that observant and honest?

Ino grabbed a bunch of red and purple irises and formed a bouquet out of them. She wrapped them up in some newspapers and walked over to the counter to put it into a bag for me. I trailed after her, staring at the other flowers in the shop. It must be amazing to wake up and see all these flowers.

I took a vase with me and placed it on the counter. "How much for everything, Ino-chan?"

"It'll be 250 ryo." I handed her the money and she grinned. "Thank you! Say, Chieko-chan, are you new here?"

I nodded. "Yup! I arrived two days ago but I've wanted to come in here since then."

Ino hmm-ed. "Are you going to join the Academy too?"

"That's the plan. I mean, it looks cool to be a ninja." _And scary_.

Ino grinned, pumping her fist into the air. "Yes! I'm going to be the coolest and prettiest kunoichi in the world!"

I giggled, looking at the bubbly blonde. "Then, I'll be the second coolest kunoichi!"

Her eyes widened. She looked surprised. Then she smiled and held out her pinky. "Let's pinky promise on that, Chieko-chan! We'll be the coolest and strongest and prettiest-"

I wrapped my pinky over hers, returning her bright smile. The door behind Ino opened and an older man walked out. He looked exactly like Ino with his knowing eyes and blond hair. "What's this I hear about being the coolest kunoichi?" He placed his hand on top of Ino's head and looked at me. " _Kushina_?" I heard him whisper. "Oh! Sorry, you reminded me of someone." Ino and I exchanged a look.

"Geez, dad! Way to creep my new friend out!"

I laughed, smiling at Ino for introducing me as her friend. She didn't seem to mind as the both of us held hands. She squeezed my hand and plucked a flower from beside her. She placed the flower in my hair. Ino's dad chuckled.

"I'm Inoichi Yamanaka, Ino's dad." He introduced himself with a slight nod. "And what's your name, Ino's new friend?"

"She's Chieko!" Ino replied, bouncing on her feet. "She's going to join the Academy too!" My cheeks felt warm and I used my free hand to try to cool it down. I was used to getting so much attention, but it still felt awkward. Hideo-sensei said it was because of my unusual hair color. He said it was beautiful and people were jealous. I glanced at my hair, twirling my finger through it. I just thought it was normal.

Inoichi-san walked over and placed his hand on top of my head like he did with Ino. "Is that so?" I nodded my head, my face getting warmer by the second. "Well, I hope you and Ino will be great friends. Tell you what, why don't you girls go have fun and I'll watch over the shop?"

Ino grinned. "Really? Thanks dad!" Ino held onto my hand and I hurriedly grabbed the bag with my vase and flowers as Ino tugged me out of the door. "Let's go!"

"It was nice meeting you, Inoichi-san!" I yelled. The older blond waved with an awkward smile on his face. But, just before he went out of view, I saw his mouth curved into a thoughtful frown. I furrowed my eyebrows. I wondered what that was about. Who was this _Kushina_ person? I shook my head and focused my attention on following Ino. She slowed to a stop and looked sheepish. I blinked as my own feet skidded to a halt.

"We should probably get your flowers home first." She glanced at the flowers in my other hand.

I giggled. "That sounds like a good plan. I'll lead the way!" In a role reversal, I pulled Ino along to my strange apartment building. We climbed up the stairs while talking about anything and everything. "So, as a kunoichi, we have to attend kunoichi classes too?"

Ino nodded, her smile widening. "Yup! I can't wait to learn how to dance, and how to be a noblewoman!"

I scrunched my nose. But I only wanted to learn how to fight and protect people. Was learning how to dance that necessary? Did people really hire shinobi to pretend to be a noble? I twisted the key on my doorknob and opened the apartment door. Ino's pale blue eyes widened and she ran into my apartment after kicking off her shoes. She ran to the window with an excited gasp. I took off my shoes and placed the vase and the flowers on the coffee table. I tilted my head. What was Ino excited about?

She squealed. "Look at your view! You can see the Hokage Monument from here. Oh, you must be so inspired every day to train!"

I scratched the back of my head while being careful not to knock the flower off my hair. "Well… I didn't actually notice the view."

She frowned. "Oh, come on, it's better than what you can see from my room."

"I guess? Anyway," I filled the vase up with some water and started filling the sink up with water. "I can see why the Hokage Monument would be very inspirational, but I have something more inspiring." Then, I took a pair of scissors and cut an inch of the flowers' stems while they were in the water. I placed the flowers into the vase and rubbed my hands together after setting the vase on the coffee table again. There, it was perfect now.

"Really?" Ino walked over to sit by the coffee table and perched her head on her hands. "What's more inspiring, Chieko-chan?"

I pointed my finger at her. "You are. Fighting to protect my friends…that is my dream."

I watched as Ino's cheeks turned pink and she giggled. She reached over and held my hands in hers. "I like that dream!" She winked at me. "I just might steal it!"

I laughed and she joined in. We left my apartment and decided to walk around the village. She pointed at a small dango shop at the edge of town. It was close to the training grounds. Ino said she was craving sweets and we decided to order some dango to share.

It had been a while since I had dango. Okay, that was a lie. It had only been three days since. I took a dango in my mouth and savored the sweet red bean paste. I looked over to see Ino already on her second stick of dango. That was fast! She swept her fringe behind her ear and grinned at me, starting on her third stick.

"I thought we were sharing, Ino-chan?"

She giggled. "You're too slow!"

"Oh ho. Do you want to race?"

She smirked, her hands already up in the air to call the waitress over. "Bring it, red head!"

"I will, blondie!"

I had no idea how much time passed before Inoichi appeared right beside our table with a look of exasperation and confusion. He shook his head and placed both of his hands on our heads. He didn't even bother asking us about our twenty-five sticks each of dango lying scattered on the wooden table. The waitress came over with two glasses of hot tea and placed them in front of Ino and I while Inoichi nodded his head in thanks.

"So, how sick are you both feeling?" I groaned in response while Ino slumped over and rested her head on the table. Inoichi shook his head again. "Come on, girls. Drink the hot tea and let's go."

He had no idea how much pain Ino and I were in. He didn't understand! I exchanged a look with Ino and she nodded her head. _Ah_ , it was time to plot the murder of Inoichi Yamanaka. Just kidding. We drank our cups of tea and forced ourselves up. I placed my hand over my mouth. Inoichi kept an eye on us as we dragged our feet to my apartment building. I had a feeling he was laughing at us internally. I glanced at him. He had an awkward smile on his face. Yup, he was definitely laughing at us.

Once we stood right in front of my apartment building, I turned and bowed at Inoichi and Ino. Hideo-sensei taught me to be polite, after all. But my face felt like it was too warm after bowing. "Thanks for everything, Ino-chan, Inoichi-san! It was fun!"

"Yup! Thanks for hanging out, Chieko-chan! You _must_ come and visit soon, kay?" Ino demanded, giving me a wink.

I laughed and we agreed to meet sometime this week again. Inoichi said he was glad that Ino met me and that we will be joining the Academy at the same time. He patted me on the head and smiled his awkward smile. He held onto Ino's hand and walked off. I heard Inoichi trying to scold Ino for eating too much dango but it didn't look like Ino was listening. I laughed before turning around to walk up the stairs to my apartment. It had been a really fun day. Naruto and Ino were such kind people. I wanted to meet more people. I wanted to make more friends. I opened the door to my apartment and my eyes immediately went to the red and purple irises on my coffee table. Beautiful flowers representing hope and wisdom. I looked at the seal on my arm. Hideo-sensei said that my time would be the start of a new era. I hoped so.

x

A week went by and I wondered how could it have disappeared so quickly. I hoped to get more training done before the start of the Academy. I had about two more weeks before it was time. I hadn't met anyone new in the past week though. But that was fine! I visited Ino and had dinner with her family. The food was amazing and Ino's mom was so cool! Inoichi kept blushing around Ino's mom and Ino pretended to be embarrassed by her parents.

Naruto and I met almost every day to train together. Today happened to be one of those days.

"Ready, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm ready, believe it!" He threw the kunai at the target but it missed completely and landed on the ground further back. "This is…this is hard." Naruto looked upset.

I blinked. "You've only been practicing for a short while, Naruto-kun. I promise you'll get better!" Although, I had to admit in my mind that it might take a while before Naruto would be better at it. I had the excuse of training since I was young, thanks to Hideo-sensei. But it wasn't the same for Naruto. I held the kunai in my hand and walked up to Naruto. "How about you look at how my hand moves instead of staring at the target? Try to see if what you did and what I did were the same or were they different."

Naruto nodded. "Okay!" He watched my hand. "Mm..." A low hum escaped from his throat as he focused. I felt my cheeks heating up. It wasn't fun to be stared at, but it was a sacrifice I had to make. I threw the kunai and watched it fly through the air before hitting dead center.

"Did you see that?"

He nodded his head, grinning wide. "I think I understand now! I'm going to give it my best, believe it!" He took a kunai in his right hand and stood at the spot I was standing on. Then, he threw it with enough force to stab the tree behind the target. "Huh?!"

I laughed. Oh, Naruto… "Keep doing your best, Naruto-kun. I'm going to go sit-" I pointed at the huge tree with the biggest shade, "right there."

Naruto gave me a thumbs-up and continued with his training while I watched from the spot I said.

I yawned, running my fingers through the cool grass. This seemed like a great spot to take a nap. But that sounded like a bad idea. What kind of future ninja falls asleep out in the open like that? I stretched my arms out and sank lower against the tree.

It was almost time for Ino, Naruto, and I to join the Academy. I wanted to be ready. Ino said that a lot of the students are from the known clans in Leaf.

The Uchiha Clan. The Hyuuga Clan. The Aburame Clan. The Akimichi Clan. The Nara Clan. The Yamanaka Clan. The Inuzuka Clan. The Sarutobi Clan.

I smiled, running my fingers through my hair. Most of the clan names held no meaning to me now. But maybe learning about them would help? What did Inoichi say again? Knowledge is power. I chuckled a little as an image of Ino punching her father in the arm after that sudden statement. But Inoichi had a good point. If I had known about the Cloud ninjas, maybe I could have… I sighed and turned to look up at the floating clouds. I rubbed the seal on my arm. Hideo-sensei, what would you have done?

I walked over to where Naruto stood, practicing with everything he got. It had been a week since that strange image appeared in my mind. I had no idea what it meant. Was it just a figment of my imagination? Did I want something amazing to happen to Naruto? Maybe all his talks about being the future Hokage made me think about that. I shrugged. Could it actually be a vision of the future? I scoffed, shaking my head at the silly thought.

"Chieko-chan!" Naruto's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked at him. "Look, look! I hit the tree!"

I turned to look at the tree that he gestured at and grinned. He did. He nicked a tiny piece of the tree but it wasn't anywhere near the target. "That's great, Naruto-kun!" I looked up at the sun, furrowing my eyebrows at its brightness. I glanced at Naruto as his stomach growled and mine followed suit. I grinned while Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Hey, want to go get lunch now?"

"Yeah, yeah! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen!"

We race over to Ichiraku Ramen, dodging people while trying to beat each other. "Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through!" I kept yelling, pushing my way through the narrow gaps between the villagers walking at their slow pace.

"Hey, watch it!" An old man held up his fist in my direction. I held my hand up to apologize. I glanced at Naruto and watched as people backed away from him. Huh. So they _were_ avoiding him. But why?

I halted to a stop in front of Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto running right into me. I groaned as the both of us toppled to the ground. Naruto rolled off me and blinked. "So, who won?"

I stared at him, dusting off the dirt that got on me. Naruto grinned back. We both burst out laughing. Teuchi lowered his head to peek at us and chuckled to himself. Naruto stood up and held his hand out to me to help me up as soon as our laughter dissipated in chuckles. We walked into the shop.

"Ah, my two favorite customers are here!" Teuchi announced, gesturing at us to take a seat. I grinned, knowing that he had already seen us outside his stall. "What'll you have today?"

"The usual." I answered, a bright smile on my face as I waved at Ayame standing at the back. She waved back, grinning. "What about you, Naruto-kun?"

"Yup, me too!"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi nodded as he began preparing our orders.

Naruto laughed again. "You should have seen your face!"

"Hey, you were the one who ran into me!" I protested, pointing my index finger at him.

He held up both of his hands in front of me. "Okay, okay! But," he tilted his head and scratched his whiskered cheek. "Who won?"

I blinked. Teuchi placed our orders in front of us. "It doesn't matter." I grinned, gesturing at the steaming hot bowl of delicious ramen. "Food's here!"

Naruto laughed again as he watched me dig into my ramen. Teuchi smiled at us as he walked over to prepare more ramen. He probably knew that Naruto and I would order seconds. And thirds. And maybe even a fourth bowl each.

But it was fine. Hideo-sensei said that I am a growing child. I had _permission_ to eat.

I sighed happily to myself. It was nice now. Peaceful. The image of the war-torn battlefield appeared in my mind again. So, how long would peace actually last?

x

I stretched after practicing my chakra control. The forest seemed so quiet and serene. I jumped out of the lake and walked deeper into the forest. There was still so much I did not know about the Leaf Village—so much I have not explored. I continued walking, looking at the herbs and plants that grew on the wet ground. I wondered if Ino knew about herbs and plants. Wouldn't it be useful to know about them for missions? I chuckled to myself as I imagined Naruto picking poisonous things off the ground without a second thought.

I looked up, seeing several ninjas jumping from tree to tree. But they didn't look like normal ninjas. No, they had masks on their faces and they looked like they're in a hurry. I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out the masks they wore. Were they animal masks? I frowned, pinching the bridge of my nose and continued wandering through the forest.

The sunlight was sparse under the large trees blocking it. The air felt cooler too. I scrutinized every corner of the forest. Wouldn't this place make an awesome training space? Quiet, not crowded, and less likely to be disturbed. I bent down, picking a pretty pink flower off the ground. Putting it close to my nose, the flower smelled sweet. I was about to start walking again when a voice called out.

"You there." I turned around to see one of the masked ninjas from before. I blinked at him. "What are you doing here?"

I pulled on the sleeves of my hoodie. "Exploring."

"Well, you shouldn't." I had no way of knowing if he was glaring at me from beneath the mask, but his voice sounded serious.

"Why? Is there something wrong in this forest?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

" _No_."

So there _is_ something! But what? I stared at his mask. Huh. It looked like a fox? Maybe a wolf? It was hard to say. I took a deep breath. "Okay." As I walked past him, I dropped a flower in his dark hair and smiled. "Have a good day, ninja-san."

I took my time walking back to the village and began exploring again. The most important place in Leaf had to be the buildings located right at the village's center. The Hokage Tower and the Academy stood there. According to Naruto, he said it takes about five minutes to run to the Academy from our apartment building. I had a feeling he was betting on that because he probably had no plans to wake up early.

I waved at Inoichi as he stood right in front of their flower shop. He was conversing with a black-haired man and a porcupine-like red-haired man. The men he was talking to smiled at me as I approached. "Inoichi-san, how are you?" I grinned, looking at his visible frown.

"Ah, Chieko-chan!" He smiled. "It has been busy but with Ino's help, we have been doing really well. Oh! Are you here to see Ino?"

I shook my head. I mean, it would have been nice to see Ino too but it hadn't crossed my mind. I wanted to spend today exploring the village and finding places that aren't as noisy. "No, I was just passing by." I tugged at Inoichi's sleeve and pointed at the men standing by him.

The red-haired man grinned and laughed, patting Inoichi on his back. The other man placed his hand on his head and chuckled. Inoichi's cheeks turned pink as he scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Chieko, this is Choza Akimichi and Shikaku Nara. Oh, that reminds me! Their sons will be joining you and Ino at the Academy."

"That's right," Shikaku answered, nodding his head with a thoughtful look. "But I can imagine Ino being more excited about the Academy than our boys, right Choza?"

Choza bellowed a laughter, his hand on his stomach as he nodded his head. "I'd say!"

Inoichi laughed. "Is that so?"

I tilted my head. "Why wouldn't they be excited to join the Academy, Nara-san? Ino-chan, Naruto-kun, and I are all happy to start learning to be a Leaf shinobi!"

Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi exchanged amused looks. Shikaku lowered himself to my height and asked, "are you new here, Chieko-chan?"

I nodded. "Well, I got here about a week ago."

"And yet you have such a passionate spirit!" Choza patted my head. "I hope you'll be great friends with my son, Choji."

Shikaku chuckled. "Maybe with Ino and Chieko here, Shikamaru might have to try harder at the Academy."

I blinked at them. They seemed like great and close friends. The Akimichi Clan. The Nara Clan. The Yamanaka Clan. Wasn't there something about them in Hideo-sensei's Bingo Book? But, they looked like really kind people. I grinned at them. "Thank you, Inoichi-san, Nara-san, Akimichi-san! You've made me even more excited to join the Academy!" I stood on my tiptoes but it didn't work. I gestured at them to bend a little and kissed each of their cheeks. "Gotta go, bye!"

I rushed off to the training grounds. I didn't have the time to slack off. I needed to prove my worth if I really want to join the Academy.

x

It has been two months since my first arrival at the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I spent most of my time with Ino and Naruto and meditating. I had to admit that it took a while for me to get used to the bustling excitement of a large village but it felt like home now, _mostly_. I sidestepped as a small boy came running past me. Tomorrow was the first day of the Academy.

Kurenai wanted to have tea and dango today after I panicked about entering the Academy and making new friends. What if Ino and Naruto found newer and better friends? What if people didn't like me? I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. No, everything will work out. It had to. I made my way to the dango shop near the training area and ran over to Kurenai as I spotted her wavy black hair. I threw my arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

"Kurenai-san!"

She laughed, patting my hair with a serene smile. "It's nice to see you again, Chieko-chan." I released her from my hug and she led us to a table. "How are you feeling? Nervous for tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Kind of." I twiddled with my fingers. "It's going to be…weird and scary and different and diff-"

Kurenai reached out and placed her index finger on my lips. Her lips quirked into a smile."Shh. Everything will work out. Trust me."

The waitress took our orders. Although, Kurenai gave me a stern look when I tried to order for twenty-five sticks of dango. I scratched the back of my head and she told me that as a kunoichi, I had to be careful with what I eat. A ninja must always care for one's own health.

"You never know when you might be called out on a mission. If you were sick from eating too much dango, well, you won't be much help." Kurenai warned.

"I understand." But it still didn't keep me from pouting. "Kurenai-san, can you tell me more about the Academy?"

Two mugs of hot tea were placed in front of us. Kurenai held one of them up. "Hmm… what would you like to know, Chieko-chan?"

"Was it…easy to make friends? What techniques did you learn? How hard are the tests?" I fired questions after questions, not wanting to forget any one of them.

Kurenai chuckled. "You'll make friends, Chieko-chan. Just be yourself. As for techniques…well, you'll have to wait and find out." She reached over and patted my head. "If you practice and study, the tests will be easy."

But…what kind of tests did the Academy give to students? Kurenai said practice and study. That had to mean that there will be written and practical exams for the students to graduate then. I assumed we must learn a lot about the other countries and the other ninja villages. But could we learn about the specialty techniques of shinobi from the other villages? Would that actually be public knowledge? I knew that the Cloud ninjas I faced had swords behind their backs. Though, it was impossible to say that the Village Hidden in the Clouds specialized in kenjutsu when I've only met three of them with swords.

Imagine how useful it would be in missions to have such knowledge before going on missions. Hideo-sensei believed that a true mark of a great ninja is to be prepared for any situation.

I looked up at Kurenai while chewing on a piece of dango. "Kurenai-san, what techniques do you use?"

She smiled. "Now, that's not knowledge you would ever want to advertise as a shinobi. You always want to have an element of surprise." She paused, taking a sip of her tea. "But, I am known for being a genjutsu user."

Illusions, then. But people had to have excellent chakra control to be able to use genjutsu. I grinned at Kurenai and she laughed. I must have looked at her with admiration because her cheeks looked a little pink. I looked down at my own hands and wondered. I knew that I spent more time training my taijutsu and ninjutsu, but I wondered about everything else that made up being a ninja. I hadn't thought of being a genjutsu user but it still might be good to learn how to dispel illusions. I pressed my lips together. How about swords? I shook my head. I doubted that idea. But Kurenai pointed out that the Academy would be the time to learn more about the different roles and techniques of field ninjas.

Kurenai and I talked for a couple of hours before I decided it was time for me to head back to training.

I stood up, brushing my pants as though there was dust on them. I pulled out my wallet and was about to pay my share when my hand brushed against the staff's hand. An image flooded into my mind. I saw our server take a step back and bump into another staff. That other staff carried several mugs of hot tea. The hot tea spilled over both servers and the customer seated nearby. I blinked and saw Kurenai staring at me in concern. I didn't have time to answer her as I reached out and pulled the server closer to the table.

"Careful!" I yelled. I watched as the staff behind her sighed in relief and walked on by with her tray of hot tea. I looked up at our server and her face looked pink. I let go of her wrist. "S-sorry… I didn't mean to…um, use that much force."

Our server smiled and shook her head. "No! I mean, I should be the one thanking you. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. We were saved because of you. Thank you, miss."

Kurenai patted my head. "She's right, Chieko-chan. You were really quick to react. That is a great skill to have when you become a ninja."

I scratched my cheek, smiling. "R-right." Because, honestly, who would have believed me if I told them that I saw it happening before it happened in real life? I placed the money on the table and slung my backpack over one shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay." I turned to face Kurenai. "Thank you for today, Kurenai-san! But, I really have to go now!" I rushed off, waving at the black-haired beauty who blinked in surprise.

I pushed through the crowd of people and ran back to my apartment. By the time I made it back to my apartment and shut the door behind me, I sank down and panted. What just happened? I clenched my fists together, taking in a couple of deep breaths. How did that image appear? _Why_ did it appear? It didn't make sense. It was _actually_ the future. What about the other images I saw? The ones about Naruto and the huge war.

I removed my hoodie and focused on the seal on my arm. Hideo-sensei, did you know something about this? Is this…is this how Hideo-sensei knew about those Cloud ninjas coming?

I needed to find answers. I poked the seal. I wondered if this might be the cause of it. I _needed_ to find answers right now.

* * *

 _ **First off, thank you for taking the time to read this till the end. I know there's a lot of other Naruto fanfics that you could be spending your time on so I'm really happy you decided to choose this blossoming fic. Hopefully, this chapter revealed quite a bit of where I plan to take the story and who Chieko is as a person. Thanks again and please review!**_

 _ **Sneak Peek for Chapter 3:**_

 _ **I looked at the blond boy beside me. The nervousness and excitement in his eyes. Grinning, I grabbed onto Naruto's hands. "Come on, let's go!"**_

 _ **"Mm! We're going to be the best, believe it!" He shouted back, leading me straight into the Academy with a more confident stride.**_


	4. The Academy Part 1

Welcome back to Mirai! So, here's a huge warning: I did not get to truly finish writing everything I wanted to for this chapter because I actually have a flight to catch so... this is the end result. Sorry about that! But at least I uploaded something? Anyway, I'll be away for a week so I'll do my best to upload the next chapter as soon as possible.

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto or this story except for Chieko.**_

* * *

 _We are Fighting Dreamers, aiming high_  
 _Fighting Dreamers, not caring about appearances_  
 _Fighting Dreamers, because we believe_  
 _Oli Oli Oli Oh-! Just go my way!_

\- Go! by Flow (Naruto Opening 4)

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 **Chapter 3: The Academy Part 1**

The first day.

The first day of attending the Academy.

The day that will change everything.

Okay, that sounded too dramatic. I rolled myself off the bed and ran my fingers through my hair. I needed a shower before going over to wake Naruto up. I had a feeling that he was too excited to fall asleep yesterday. I took my shower and cooked a quick breakfast. Pulling out the two bento boxes I left in the fridge last night, I shoved them into my backpack. I checked to see if I had everything I need.

Wallet, check. Notebooks, check. Books to read when bored, check. Anything else?

I wore my sandals and took one last look into the apartment. The irises on the coffee table seemed to shine in the sunlight coming through the window. I smiled. Hope and wisdom. I hoped to gain wisdom and become a great ninja. Hideo-sensei would have wanted that. I shut the door behind me and locked it. Walking over to Naruto's apartment, I pressed my ear against his door and waited for a minute. Then, I heard loud footsteps running all over the apartment and Naruto's panicked voice.

"Late! I'm going to be late! Oh man, on my first day too!"

I shook my head, smiling. I knocked on the door. "Hey, Naruto-kun. Come on, we gotta go."

The door opened, revealing the disheveled blond boy with his hair sticking all over. "Chieko-chan! Er, give me a minute." He hurried back into his apartment to grab his backpack and wear his orange jacket. He looked around the room. "Food, food. I need to grab-"

I tossed a bento box at him. "Let's go! We're going to be late!"

"Thank you, Chieko-chan!" He shoved the food into his bag and ran out into the hallway. Shutting and locking the door behind him, the both of us raced down the stairs and rushed to the Academy. It didn't help that the villagers were in the midst of preparing their stores. I narrowly avoided a couple of elderly people as they glared at me. It wasn't my fault that they were walking like a bunch of turtles.

I halted to a stop in front of the Academy and had to brace myself as Naruto ran into me again. I turned around and laughed. "You need to learn how to stop."

He gave me a sheepish smile. "You need to give me a warning before stopping."

We stood in silence, looking at the red building in front of us. Several parents and future Academy students gathered in front of the building. It wasn't hard for me to feel the excitement in the air. I noticed Ino with her parents Ino's mom looked like she was fussing over Ino's clothes while Inoichi smiled at the scene. Ino continued to block her mom's hands while bouncing in excitement on the spot. I waved at her and she winked back at me. Inoichi smiled at me. I returned his smile. Everyone looked happy to be Academy students, except the bored-looking boy standing near Shikaku. I grinned. That must be Shikaku's son! Was it…. Shikamaru or something like that? I shook my head and looked at the blond boy beside me. The nervousness and excitement in his eyes. Grinning, I grabbed onto Naruto's hands. "Come on, let's go!"

"Mm! We're going to be the best, believe it!" He shouted back, leading me straight into the Academy with a more confident stride.

We made our way over to the crowd as the ninjas dressed in Chunnin vests walked out of the building. If I remembered correctly, Chunnin-rank ninjas handle the classes at the Academy. I wondered who would be our teacher. They directed all of us to get into line and wait patiently. Most of the parents were saying goodbye to their kids. I watched as Ino waved bye to her parents and she stood behind me. I felt her arms wrapped around my neck. I grinned.

"Hey, Ino-chan!" I whispered.

"Ah… I'm just so excited, Chieko-chan! Aren't you?!"

I nodded, the both of us trying to not draw attention to ourselves. "I wonder if we'll be in the same class."

"We will." Ino's confident words comforted my growing nerves.

We waited as the teachers took turns and called out several names. Those names represented the students that would be in their class. I found myself holding both Naruto and Ino's hand as a young man with brown hair tied in a ponytail and a noticeable scar across his nose introduced himself.

"Hello everyone, my name is Iruka Umino. Now, if I call your name, you'll be in my class. Alright. Shino Aburame-" I watched as a boy in dark sunglasses made his way to Iruka. "-Choji Akimichi-" A chubby boy with his hand in a packet of potato chips smiled and headed to where Iruka and Shino stood. Iruka continued with his list.

I looked around and noticed the other students. Most of them seemed excited but some of them looked as nervous as me. I wondered what will happen once we get to class. Will we be learning something today? Maybe throw some shuriken? I wondered if there's a library in the Academy. I wondered if there will be information about Hideo-sensei's seal or about the weird visions I've been seeing.

I turned my attention to Iruka when he called out, "Naruto Uzumaki."

I watched Naruto pumped his fist in the air and walked over to the rest of the group. I tilted my head at Iruka's disturbed expression but he immediately forced a smile on his face. Hmm… He acted the same way that the villagers did, though he hid it better. Did Naruto do something that I have no idea about? I shook my head and watched Iruka continued reading his list. "Ino Yamanaka." Ino grinned happily, skipping over to stand by Iruka. "And finally, Chieko."

I ran over and threw my arms around Ino as we squealed in excitement. I laughed as Naruto stuck his fingers into his ears while throwing me a grin. I had to admit that we were a bit too loud but it doesn't matter, I was in the same class as Naruto and Ino. I scanned the crowd and noticed the several other students in our class. I recognized some of the clan symbols that were etched onto some of the students' clothing. Huh. It seemed like there are a few of them in our class.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat. "Alright, come on, follow me."

And we did. We followed Iruka-sensei over to our classroom and everyone scattered to grab seats. The seats were set up in a way that three people shared a long desk. I took a seat with Naruto on my left and Ino on my right. It didn't look like the seating arrangements would be permanent but I had no idea if Iruka-sensei will try to assign seats in the future. I watched as Iruka-sensei's calm expression started breaking as the class refused to settle down and be quiet. I smiled, watching Ino make conversations with a girl seated near us. Naruto, on the other hand, was busy giggling to himself for becoming an Academy student. I poked his whiskered cheek.

"Naruto-kun, you're going to creep people out soon."

"What?" He asked, looking around the room. "Who?"

I looked over my shoulder and noticed a girl with short dark blue hair and pale eyes. I blinked and waved at her. She let out a soft "eep!' and her face turned bright pink as she turned her attention back to Iruka-sensei. I blinked again, smiling.

"Chieko-chan!" The blond boy waved his hand right in front of my face. "Who am I creeping out?"

I shrugged. "No one, actually. Just wanted to get you to stop giggling."

Iruka-sensei looked exasperated and slammed his hand down onto a wooden desk. Everyone stopped talking and turned their attention to him. Well, that worked. "I understand that you're all excited to be here but we won't be getting anything done if you keep talking." He walked closer and smiled. "Now, welcome to the Academy."

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 _ **Again, I'm sorry for the short chapter (it's depressing-From my 6,000 words to 1,500 words)! The next one will be much longer and hopefully, I can finish writing all the scenes I had planned. Thanks for reading! Please review! Feedback helps.**_


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